Two countries: one town

Given that Haparanda and Tornio are so closely related, it seems only right that they should share a tourist office. Not only does it hold information about both places but it can also help with general queries about Finland. Indeed, there are two phone lines in the office, one for calls from Sweden, the other with enquiries from Finland; staff switch effortlessly from one language to another depending on which line is ringing. To get here from the bus station head towards the “Finland” signs on the nearby bridge; there are no border formalities, and so you can simply walk over the bridge to Finland and wander back whenever you like. It’s worth remembering that Finnish time is one hour ahead of Swedish time and that Haparanda and Tornio have different names in Swedish (Haparanda and Torneå) and Finnish (Haaparanta and Tornio).